Name: Tee Higgins
Position: Wide receiver
School: Clemson
Ht/Wt: 6-4/216
40-yard dash: 4.54 (pro day)
Bench: Did not bench
Vertical: 31 inches (pro day)
Broad: 123.0 (pro day)
3-cone: Did not run
20-yard shuttle: 4.25 (pro day)
View photos of NFL prospect Tee Higgins.
Clemson wide receiver Tee Higgins (5) celebrates his touchdown catch with wide receiver Hunter Renfrow (13), running back Adam Choice (26) and linebacker John Boyd (46) in the first half of the NCAA Cotton Bowl semi-final playoff football game against Notre Dame on Saturday, Dec. 29, 2018, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Jeffrey McWhorter)
Clemson's Tee Higgins catches a touchdown pass during the second half of the NCAA college football playoff championship game against Alabama, Monday, Jan. 7, 2019, in Santa Clara, Calif. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Clemson wide receiver Tee Higgins (5) looks to the sideline during an NCAA college football game against South Carolina Saturday, Nov. 30, 2019, in Columbia, S.C. Clemson defeated South Carolina 38-3. (AP Photo/Sean Rayford)
Clemson wide receiver Tee Higgins (5) runs against Virginia during the first half of the Atlantic Coast Conference championship NCAA college football game in Charlotte, N.C., Saturday, Dec. 7, 2019. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)
Clemson's Tee Higgins (5) dodges the tackle of North Carolina's Chazz Surratt (21) to score the team's final touchdown during the fourth quarter of an NCAA college football game in Chapel Hill, N.C., Saturday, Sept. 28, 2019. (AP Photo/Chris Seward)
Clemson wide receiver Tee Higgins scores against LSU during the first half of a NCAA College Football Playoff national championship game Monday, Jan. 13, 2020, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Clemson wide receiver Tee Higgins (5) is unable to catch a pass as Notre Dame cornerback Troy Pride Jr. defends in the second half of the NCAA Cotton Bowl semi-final playoff football game, Saturday, Dec. 29, 2018, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Jeffrey McWhorter)
Clemson's Tee Higgins (5) warms up before an NCAA college football game against North Carolina in Chapel Hill, N.C., Saturday, Sept. 28, 2019. (AP Photo/Chris Seward)
Clemson's Tee Higgins reacts after scoring a touchdown during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Charlotte Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019, in Clemson, S.C. (AP Photo/Richard Shiro)
Clemson's Tee Higgins (5) waits for the snap against North Carolina State during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Raleigh, N.C., Saturday, Nov. 9, 2019. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)
How he fits: Following a highly productive three-year career at Clemson, where he amassed 135 receptions for 2,448 yards (18.1 average) and 27 receiving touchdowns, Higgins is expected to be a late first or early second round selection in the NFL Draft later this month.
The Lions return their top three pass catchers from last season – Kenny Golladay, Marvin Jones Jr. and Danny Amendola – but none of them are signed through 2020, though the team and Golladay's representatives will likely discuss an extension at some point this offseason.
Higgins is in the same kind of mold as Golladay, though a little less physical. He's got great size, wins a lot of 50-50 balls, makes a lot of plays down the field, and is deceptively faster than his 40 time might suggest because he's a long strider. He's one of the best receivers in this class at going up and high pointing the football.
He played all three receiver spots at Clemson, so there's some versatility to his game too.
Detroit's a good situation for any young receiver to step into because there are established veterans on the roster to learn from, and there would be less expectation to be the man right away.
Key observations: Higgins led the ACC with 13 touchdowns last season and scored a touchdown on 20 percent of his catches over his entire Clemson career.
He was targeted 23 times deep down the field and came down with 15 of those for more than 500 yards, the sixth most among all college receivers, according to Pro Football Focus statistics. Higgins offers big-play potential with a big frame.
What they had to say about him: "Higgins is a tall, long and rangy wideout with elite high-point skills. He uses a quick foot fire to defeat press coverage. He is a smooth, long-striding route runner. He is at his best when on the move: slants, posts and go routes. He lacks snap at the top of his route when working back downhill.
"He has incredible ball skills down the field. He can elevate and also adjust to the back-shoulder ball. After the catch, he is very smooth and slippery. Overall, Higgins isn't going to do a lot of the dirty work in the middle of the field, but he's very effective on the outside and provides big-play ability." – Daniel Jeremiah, NFL.com
How he stacks up: Higgins comes in at No. 28 on Jeremiah's most recent list of the Top 50 prospects available in this draft and his sixth best receiver.
ESPN Draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. listed Higgins as the fourth best receiver in this class behind Jerry Jeudy, CeeDee Lamb and Henry Ruggs III in a recent national conference call with reporters.
Scouts Inc. lists Higgins as the 34th best prospect in this draft with an 87 grade (outstanding prospect) out of 100.
What he had to say: "Obviously, I'm a tall receiver and I'm gonna win a 50-50 ball 80-20 my way," Higgins said at the Combine of what separates him from other receivers.
"A lot of people thought I was a slow tall guy, but the film speaks for itself, I'm not slow, I'm a tall guy that's got great speed. I model my game after guys like Julio Jones and A.J. Green, with Julio he's physical and got good long speed, with A.J. he goes up and attacks the ball at the highest point."
